Machine for inclosing flat articles



W. E. SWIFT.

MACHINE FOR I-NCLOSING FLA.T ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED AU G.30.1916.

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MACHINE FOR INCLOSING FLAT ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.30. I915.

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MACHINE FOR INCLOSING FLAT-ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.30. I916.

Patented Mar. 9,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrion WILLARD E. SWIFT, OF WORCESTER,MASSACHUSETTS, .ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, OFSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATIQN- 0]? MAIN E.

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLARD E. a citizen of the United States, residingat Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machinesfor Inclosing Flat Articles, of-

which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification.

The present invention relates to a machine for inclosing flat articles,and more particularly to a machine for forming an enveloping inclosurearound individual paper drinking. cups, whereby the same may bepresented'to the user in a sealed package.

The invention resides in the combination and arrangement of partswhereby. the cups or other flat articles are successively taken anlsm'ofan "ordinary envelop machine, making suchchanges in and additionsthereto as are necessary to the accomplishment of the requiredoperations. However, it is to be understood that my invention is in nosense limited 'to the employment of such prior art envelop machinemechanisms as are herein illustrated, but is susceptible of widevariation therefrom as regards the several instrumentalitiesWhich'operate upon the enveloping Wrapper or blank, to gum,

crease, fold and transfer the same, as well as the instrumentalitieswhich operate upon the articles to be inclosed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

"Figure 1 is an end view of a machine embodying my invention, certainparts being broken away.and others being shown in section. 3

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of so much of said machine as is necessary toillustrate the principles-underlying my invention.

Fig.3 is a side view of said machine, some Specification of LettersPatent.

SWIFT,

MACHINE FOR INCLOSING FLAT ARTICLES;

of the well known envelop machine mechanisms therein being shown eitherdiagrammatically or else omitted altogether.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side View of the plunger of my machine, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the product-0f the machine, the completedenvelop or package, with the flat paper drinking cup contained therein.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the differentfigures.

The illustrated embodiment of my invention involves ordinary envelopmachine mechanisms of well known construction, for gumming and foldingthe blanks which are used for inclosing the paper drinking cups, and forconveying the same successively from the. gumming to the foldingmechanisms. The mechanisms are supported on a table 1, at the rear endof which the usual feed board 2,'Fig. 3, for the pile of blanks 3, isprovided. In the manner common to ordinary envelop machines,reciproeating gumming dies 4 and 5, above said pile of .blanks, descendinto contact with the uppermost blank thereof, and raise it by adhesion,said blank being removed therefrom' by the usual stripping plate 6, Fig.2, and deposited upon a horizontally reciprocating carriage 7, runningon guides 8; The blank is held downonthe carriage 7 by a hook or gage 9,or by any of the equiva-- lent means commonly employed for this purposein envelop machinery, said'blank, as it rests on said carriage, as shownin Fig. 2, disclosing on its front and rear edges the moist gummedportions 10 and 11 resulting from its contact with the and 5.

Mechanism well known in envelop machines, and' hence not hereinillustrated in detail, is employed to supply gum to the Patented Mar. 9,1920. Application filed August 30, 1916. Serial No. 117,?69.

gumming dies 4- with the frame of the machine, said pins serving tocenter and accurately position the blank upon the carriage 7, so thatthe rectangular body portion of the blank is in exact registration witha rectangular opening 14 in said carriage of the same size, and

also with a rectangular plunger 15, which at the proper time descendsand forces the blank through said opening, in the manner common toenvelop machines. The blank thus registered is in position to havedeposited thereon the cup or'otherarticle to be inclosed, by themechanism hereinafter particularly set forth.

The table 1 supports a standard 16, used to carry a cup holder 17, atone side of the forward osition of the carriage 7 From near the hottom18 of said on holder rises a plurality of cup guiding ngers 19, 19,arranged to define a vertical space corresponding in cross section toone of the cups, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the cups are supported in astack, with their closed lower ends facing the plunger 15 and carriage7. The lowermost cup of the stack rests upon the inturned ends 20, 20 ofan equalizing bar 21, pivoted at 22 upon a slide 23 which'is adapted toreciprocate in a slideway 24 of the bottom 18.. The cups are stacked sothat their shorter sides face downward in the holder, whereby the endsor prongs 20, 20 of the bar 21 engage the edge of the shorter side ofthe lowermost cup, at the open end thereof, and move said cup to theleft, Fig. 1, when said slide is actuated. The bottom of the slidecarries a .cam roll 25, which is held against a cam 26 on the carriage 7by means of a spring 27 whose force is exerted to draw the'slide to theright, Fig. 1. The movement of the slide to the left, by means of thecam 26, pushes the lowermost cup, through the slit 28, and for thepurpose of preventing ejection of any but the lowermost cup, at eachreciprocation of the slide, adjustable spring fingers 29, 29, toseparate the cups, are preferably employed.

Each cup so ejected is moved by the slide into the engagement ofconstantly driven rolls 30, 30 adjacent the plunger 15, which arerotated by gearing 31, 32 and 33 from the main shaft 34 of the machine.The rolls 30, 30 move the cup in a horizontal plane at the level assumedby the plunger 15 when in its uppermost position. As the rolls 30, 30,must necessaril be located outside the path of the vertical yreciprocating plunger the quick action of the rolls are caused to impartsufiicient momentum to project the article passing between them clear ofthe rolls and into position beneath the plunger.

The under face of the plunger has a recess 35 slightly larger than andcorresponding in shape to a cup, the walls of said recess being grooved,as at 36, to receiveeach cup as it leaves the rolls 30, 30. Preferably apair of hooks 37, 37 are employed, just below the recess, to preventendwise displacement of a cup therefrom, once it has been receivedwithin the recess and, if desired, a spring or wire 38 may also be usedto prevent rebound of the cup after it has struck the opposite side ofthe recess.

Normally seating against the underside of the plunger 15, within therecess 35, is a secondary plunger 39, whose rod 40 is telescoped withinthe rod 41 of plunger 15. The

plunger 39 is held retracted by springs 42, attached at their upper endsto the rod 41, and at their lower ends to pins 43 projecting from rod 40and passing through slots 44 in rod 41, which enable relative movementbetween the plungers to take place. In order to insure quick movement ofplunger 39, and to prevent imprisonment of air between the two plungers,each of the latter is referably perforated as at-45.

he plunger rod 41 is attached to an arm 46, the latter having avertically reciprocating movement in a slideway 47, which is formed on astationary standard 48 rising from the table 1 of the machine. Pivotedon said arm is a lever 49, one end of which is adapted to strike anadjustable stud 50 on the standard 48, to rock said lever, when theplunger 15 is approaching the end of its downward movement. The otherend of said lever is held yieldingly against the end of a sleeve 51 bymeans of a spring 52, said sleeve receiving a rod 53 whose lower endseats against the end of secondary plunto force the cup out of recess35, and onto the top face ofthe blank.

In the operation of the mechanism, the cup is fed to the recess 35 ofthe plunger 15 as above described, with the plunger in the positionshown in Fig. 1, and with the plunger 39 of course retracted as shown.In addition to the support afforded by the groove 36 of said recess, thecup may be kept from sagging oted skid 55, carried upon the gage bar 13and held in operative position, as shown in Fig. 4, by a spring 56,against an adjustable stop 57, whereby the cup, when the plunger 15 isat the limit of its upward movement, is insured against dropping out ofthe recess.

Assuming that a gummed blank has beenmoved forward by the carriage 7,and

. rests directly beneath the plunger 15, in the at the center by apivcommon to the operation of envelop machinery, through the opening 14of the carriage 7, and this action creases the several flaps of theblank along the desired'lines of fold indicated in Fig. 2; As theplunger descends, its edge, and ultimately the bar 58 rising therefrom,make contact with the pivoted skid 55, to carry the same into the dottedline position of Fig. 4, away from the cup and out of the path of theplunger. The further descent of the plunger beyond the opening letcarries the creased blank into the folding well or bed 59 of themachine. Just prior to the arrival thereof upon the bottom of the bed,the end of lever 49 strikes the stud 50, causing the secondary plunger39 to push'the cup out of recess 35, and against the blank, whichimmediately thereafter is deposited in the bed 59 by plunger 15.Thereupon after the upward movement of the plunger, the four hinged flapfolders 60, 60 of the folding bed are actuated, in the manner well knownin envelop machinery, to turn down successively the creased flaps,causing their gummed edges to adhere, as shown in Fig. 5, thus providingan enveloping inclosu're around the cup. The package thus sealed may bethen discharged in the usual manner common to envelop machinery from thefolding bed 59.

It will be noted that the folding mechanism above referred to is in allrespects the same as the mechanism for folding ordinary envelops, exceptthat the last flap folder 60 to operate turns the flap 61 completelydown, whereas, in an envelop machine this flap is only partially turneddown, and constitutes the open seal flap of the envelop. The machine,therefore, is adapted also to make ordinary envelope, merely byreducing, by a simple adjustment, the movement of this final flap folder60, and by render ing inoperative the cup feeding mechanism. This lastmay be conveniently accomplished by a stop 62, onthe end of-a lever 63,which is held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by means of a spring 64.,A rod 65, attached to said lever, may beoperated to rock the lever,thereby moving the stop intothe path of the slide 23, when the latter isin ad vanced position, and thus preventing the spring 27 from retractingsaid slide. A latch 66 may be employed to hold the rod in the positiondescribed, against the force of spring 64:, so that no cups are fed, andfurthermore this mechanism, it will be seen, enables the supply ofblanks on the feed table to be replenished at-any time, without stoppingthe machine.

I claim,

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a foldingbed and a series of hinged fiap folders inclosing the folding bed, of areciprocating carriage having an mg grooves in the side walls of therecess for holding a flat article, a stack forfiat articles at one sideof said plunger when in its highest position, a pair of revolving feedrolls between said stack and said plunger, and reciprocating means forfeeding articles from said stack into engagement with said rolls. 2. Ina machine of the class described, the combination with an envelopfolding mechanism, comprising a folding bed and a reciprocating plungerfor forcing a blank upon said folding bed, said plunger having a recesson its nnder side provided with grooves in its side walls, of a pair offeed rolls for feeding an article into said grooves. 3. In a machine'ofthe class described, the combination with an envelop feeding mechanismand a reciprocating plunger, of a vertical stack for. holding a seriesof flat articlesat one side of the plunger, a pair of rotating rollsbetween the stack and the plunger, means for moving an article from thestack into the bite of said rolls, and means for retaining the articleonthe under side of the plunger during its downward motion.

4. Ina machine of the class described, a folding mechanism, means foractuating the folding mechanism, means for carrying an envelop blankinto the folding mechanism, a stack for fiat articles at one side of thefolding mechanism, a pair of rotating rolls between the stackand thefolding mechanism, means for moving an article from the stack into thebite of the rolls, and means for delivering the article from said rollsupon the envelop blank prior to the action of the folding mechanism.

5. In a machine of the class described, a vertically reciprocatingplunger, a vertical stack for fiat articles at one side of the plunger,means for withdrawing an article from the stack, and means for impartinga momentum to the article to project it beneath the plunger:

6. In a machine of the class folding mechanism, a reciprocating carriageor moving av blank over the folding mechanism, a verticallyreciprocating plunger for moving a blank from the carriage 'to thefolding mechanism, a stack at one side of the plunger, a reciprocatingslide for removing an article from the stack and carrying a cam roll, acam carried by the carriage and engaging said cam roll to move theslide, and a spring to 'hold the cam roll against the cam.

7. In a machine of the class described, a reciprocating carriage formoving an envelop blank, a folding mechanism, a verti cal stack, areciprocating slide for engaging an article in the stack and means foractuin said recess, and a secondary plunger for I ating said slide towithdraw an article from the stack controlled by the movement of thecarriage.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination with an envelopfolding mechanism, comprising a folding bed and a reciprocating plungerfor forcing a blank upon said folding bed, said plunger having a recessupon its under side, means for holding a flat article in said recess anda pair of rotating rolls for forcibly projecting a flat article mto saidrecess, and means for preventing the recoil of said article in saidrecess. 1

'9. In a machine of the class described, a folding bed, means for movingan envelop blank over the folding bed, means for forcing the blank uponthe folding bed, comprising a plunger having a recess on its under side,means for retaining a flat article forcing an article held in saidrecess against the envelop blank at the end of the movement of saidplunger.

10. In a machine of the class described,

a gumming mechanism, a folding mechamean, a reciprocating carriage formoving article from the stack, means for actuating said slide towithdraw an article from the stack, and means for locking said slide inan inoperative position, at will.

12. In a machine of the class described, a folding bed, a reciprocatingplunger for moving an evelop blank upon said bed, said plunger having arecess open. on its under side, means for placing flat articles in saidrecess, a skid pivoted upon the fixed framework of the machine, with itsfree end extending across the open side of said recess, and a springapplied to hold said skid in its normal position, but allowing the skidto be deflected as the lunger descends.

13. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a foldingmechanism, of a carrying plunger for carrying an inclosure into theenvelop blank, a secondary I plunger for forcing the inclosure out ofthe carrying plunger, a stack for the inclosures, and mechanism fortransferring the 1n-- closures individually from the stack to thecarrying plunger.

14. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a folding bed,means for moving an envelop blank over and above said bed, a stack for aseries of flat articles, means for Withdrawing the lowermost articlefrom the stack, means for projecting the Withdrawn article over theblank, a plunger for forcing the blank upon the folding bed, and meansfor folding the blank, operating in the order named.

Dated this 25th day of'August 1916.

WILLARD E. SWIFT.

Witnesses 2 PENELOPE CoMBEnBAoH, Name WHALEN,

